ARD theme evening on the subject of betting fraud
The ARD feature film "Auf Kurze Distanz" (At a Short Distance) and the subsequent documentary on the same topic, which deal with match-fixing and betting fraud, shed light on a serious problem and underscore the need for political action at the federal and state levels.
DSWV President Mathias Dahms says
"Match fixing is a crime that primarily victimizes sports and sports betting operators. When criminal groups postpone games and thus cheat with bets, we bookmakers bear the economic damage, as we have to pay out betting winnings that have been defrauded in this way. It is a very serious problem that threatens trust in sports."
Against this backdrop, the DSWV welcomes the German government's recently presented bill to amend criminal law in order to punish match fixing more effectively. The German government has also committed to setting up a "national platform" on which sports, betting providers and authorities can exchange information and take joint action against match fixing.
However, if the fight against "match fixing" in Germany is to succeed, it is essential that the federal states finally subject the State Treaty on Gaming, which has been fraught with legal uncertainty for years, to a fundamental reform. The rules it contains on the subject of preventing match fixing miss the point entirely and fuel the anonymous black market in Asia, where the manipulations usually take place.
On March 17, the Minister Presidents of the German federal states will deal with the revision of the State Treaty on Gambling after the European Court of Justice repeatedly declared on February 4 that central components of German sports betting regulation are contrary to European law.
Mathias Dahms comments:
"Serious sports betting providers licensed in Europe have long been striving to establish an effective prevention and reporting system against match-fixing in Germany as well. However, legal uncertainty in the area of sports betting regulation makes these efforts extremely difficult. We are now holding discussions with the sport on how we can launch an anti-manipulation institution despite these hurdles."
In order to achieve better protection against match fixing, the DSWV organized the symposium "Fighting Match Fixing" a few months ago, where experts from sports, politics and science discussed how to effectively protect the integrity of sports (see videos).